Ajvar: The Balkan delight transforming summer barbecues

Ajvar is a vegetable sauce popular throughout the Balkan Peninsula. It plays a very important role in the local cuisine, so it is not difficult to find it when dining in Croatian, Serbian, Albanian, or Greek restaurants. I first tried it during a holiday, and ajvar literally conquered my taste buds.

The recipe for ajvar is very simple, and the secret lies in the right proportions of vegetables and spices. I like to use it in various dishes, but it doesn't work better with anything than grilled dishes. Today, this thick sauce is the main addition I use in the summer, and it is gradually winning over the remaining members of my family. Ketchup? It's almost a thing of the past. The time of Ajvar has come!

Ingredients:

• 7 red bell peppers
• 2 large aubergines
• 1 can of diced tomatoes
• 2 small chili peppers
• 2 white onions
• 5 cloves of garlic
• half a lemon
• salt, pepper
• oregano
• summer savoury
• 60ml of wine vinegar (I recommend homemade)
• olive oil

Instructions:

1. Cut the aubergines and peppers in half. Remove the seed cores from the peppers and green ends from the aubergines, and spread the vegetables on a baking sheet. Drizzle them with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, then bake at 200°C until soft, about 30 minutes.
2. After that time, wait for the vegetables to cool down and peel them with your fingers.
3. Sauté the chopped onion in a pot with a small amount of olive oil. Then, add the canned tomatoes, finely chopped garlic, and chilli pepper.
4. After a few minutes, add the roasted, peeled, and chopped peppers and aubergines. Season with lemon juice, salt, and pepper, then add roughly a teaspoon each of summer savoury and oregano. Simmer the entire mixture for 25 minutes.
5. Blend the ingredients into a paste. Check the flavour and add more spices if necessary. Your ajvar is now ready.